Apparently “Election Stress Disorder” is a real condition. Some voters are stressed, because they fear the prospects of the election of former President Donald Trump. Others are stressed, because they know the genocide in Palestine will continue no matter who gets elected president. Then there is the absolute fatigue due to being inundated by television ads, phone calls, mailings and texts imploring us to vote for one of the two capitalist candidates or to send them money. 

Particularly disgusting are the constant ads for Trump, coupled with those for right-wing Congressional candidates. These blatantly appeal to the lowest forms of bigotry, especially against migrants and against the transgender community, often both in the same message. One Trump ad falsely accuses Vice President Kamala Harris of approving gender-affirming surgeries for undocumented migrants who are trans.

The Congressional campaign ads are just as horrendous. In Ohio, for example, Republicans supporting Senatorial candidate Bernie Moreno accused Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown of allowing immigrants to come into the U.S. and commit murders and rapes. They also claim Brown supports gender-affirming surgeries for minors and allowing “biological males” — a slander of trans women — to use women’s bathrooms and play on girls’ sports teams.

So how have Democratic candidates responded to these ads and their weaponizing of hatred against the most oppressed? Have they come out in defense of undocumented workers?

No! On the contrary, one of Brown’s ads features border patrol officers touting his support for anti-migrant legislation.

Ads for Moreno and Trump conclude with a dig at non-binary people: “Brown is for they/them. Bernie Moreno is for you.” 

Have the Democrats spoken up in support of the trans community? Hardly. The most recent ad from the Brown campaign stresses that Brown never voted to allow transgender minors to play on a team of their gender. The emphasis is on Moreno’s false statements, not on his vile transphobia.

Both the Democrats and the Republicans seek to demonstrate that they will uphold the interests and values of the billionaire class.

To make matters worse, at least one left-leaning third party candidate, Green Party vice presidential candidate Butch Ware, has been caught making a transphobic statement. (Advocate.com, Nov. 1)

Whether it’s the Democrats or the Greens, this is capitulation to bigotry, pure and simple. There is no justification for it.

While the program of Ware and presidential candidate Jill Stein has a number of bullet points supporting the LGBTQIA2S+ community, it should also call for the repeal of dozens of state bills that essentially criminalize trans youth and their health care providers.

Fight bigotry – no exceptions!

Workers World Party has a radically different approach. We are in full solidarity with every oppressed community in capitalist society. WWP believes all forms of bigotry are violations of the rights of the oppressed and are used to divide and conquer the working class. We reject this bigotry flat out. 

And while we know in our bones that voting for capitalist politicians is a lose-lose situation, our party defends the basic democratic right to vote. This position is an act of solidarity with those who have been denied that right historically and politically — solidarity with all marginalized and disenfranchised sectors of our class, including people of color, incarcerated workers, houseless people, migrants and others. 

We say no to white supremacy, misogyny, anti-LGBTQIA2S+ discrimination, ableism, xenophobia, etc. 

WWP won’t cater to backward attitudes to win an election — or garner financial support from the bourgeoisie.

WWP has never been afraid to take an unpopular position. We know that the class struggle is not a popularity contest — it’s a struggle for power between the working class and the ruling class. To win we need unity, not division. 

An injury to one is an injury to all! Solidarity forever! 

Defend the multinational, multigendered working class!